Message 2: Faith as a Gift
MESSAGE TWO:
As Christians we believe that God speaks. Yet, as Western Christians, we’ve nearly forgotten what His voice sounds like.
In this church, we are rediscovering the Holy Spirit – and things are changing as a result. We are learning to recognize the voice of God again.
When God speaks, it is for a reason – He is drawing us to Himself. He may be correcting us, he may be directing us, or he may be encouraging us, but regardless of the specifics – He is drawing us into more intimacy with Him.
Last week I shared SIX WORDS that God spoke to me a few weeks ago in prayer. I want to remind you of those words and then begin to look in depth at the first of them.
1. FAITH: “Faith is the gift from God that moves me away from fleshly and soulish living into spiritual living.”
2. IDENTITY: “Because of Faith, I belong to God and His Kingdom.”
The first two words tied together make up – The GIFT OF FAITH
In the gift of faith – we discover who we really are.
3. BELIEVE: “To believe is to take action steps which demonstrate my new identity.”
4. MIRACLES: “Miracles are God taking action.”
Believe and miracles tied together make up – THE ACTIVITY OF FAITH
In the activity of faith – we discover who God really is.
5. MIRACLES: “The undeniable action of miracles demonstrates the character of God.”
6. TESTIMONY: “God is becoming increasingly real and increasingly loved by us!”
Miracles and testimony tied together make up - THE EVIDENCES OF FAITH
In the Evidences of Faith – God is glorified!
Today I want to look at the GIFT OF FAITH – where we discover who we truly are.
PRAYER
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible speaks of FAITH. But there is one scripture that defines FAITH better than any other – Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
We learn several things from this verse:
• Faith is PRESENT TENSE – Hope is FUTURE TENSE.
• Faith is BELIEVING BEFORE SEEING – But will eventually bring SUBSTANCE to what we have believed.
• Faith is ACTIVE not PASSIVE.
We can all understand NATURAL FAITH. We have faith in the things of the world we experience through the five senses:
• Turn on the TV – and believe you’ll see something on your screen.
• Sit on the chair – and believe you’ll not fall to the ground.
• Make a phone call – and believe you’ll get someone’s voice mail.
This is NATURAL FAITH. Trusting in something you can see, feel, hear, taste or touch. “Seeing is believing!”
But the faith that comes from God is SUPERNATURAL FAITH. The Gift of Faith transcends the natural senses and involves a SUPERNATURAL connection with a Divine Being. This is why this first word that God gave me is so vital to our next steps as Christians – it is as if He is saying to us: “You’ve relied on the things of the NATURAL WORLD for too long! I’m moving you into an entirely new realm of experience! I’m bringing you into the realm of TRUE FAITH – SUPERNATURAL FAITH!”
From what I can tell – there are three kinds of SUPERNATURAL FAITH:
• SAVING FAITH
• LIVING FAITH
• THE GIFT OF FAITH
I. SAVING FAITH
Hebrews 11:6 says:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
If you are going to have a relationship with God that results in salvation you must have ‘saving faith’.
Def: Saving Faith doesn’t come from our good deeds but from our faith in Christ Jesus.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31
Jesus is not evident to our physical senses. You need to experience His love and fellowship here and now, but you cannot do so in your NATURAL SENSES. You need His SUPERNATURAL intervention, and that is exactly what happens when the Holy Spirit draws you to Jesus! Your salvation by faith is a GIFT from God – not something you can manufacture!
Turn to Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no-one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Notice the words: ‘grace’, ‘not from yourselves’, ‘gift of God’, ‘not by works’
Salvation is mine, not because of anything I have or will do, but as the direct result of faith given me by God’s grace.
Why would God do such a thing for people like us? It speaks to His character – He loves and cares for you at a level that is hard to fathom.
The Bible tells us that…
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
Right now you can receive this gift of salvation by hearing and receiving the Word of Christ – and as you open your heart to this message, God will grant you the faith necessary!
The first ‘faith’ given is ‘saving faith’ - Saving Faith doesn’t come from our good deeds but from our faith in Christ Jesus.
The second ‘faith’ given is…
2. LIVING FAITH
I need to explain this carefully:
Def: Living faith is our part in responding to God by allowing Him to transform our lives.
Paul calls this the ‘fruit of the spirit’ – the payoff for being in Christ.
If I plant a strawberry plant, my payoff will be sweet, juicy and delicious strawberrys! As I live in faith, the payoff will be an utterly transformed life.
Listen to these words which describe the payoff:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23, NIV.
These are the payoff for walking with Christ through life! They come as a result of our salvation and our increasing intimacy with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Listen to what Jesus said in John 15:5…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8
Our faith in Jesus is supplied by the Presence of the Holy Spirit who empowers and enables us to move forward in life – LIVING OUT OUR FAITH!
One of the chief criticisms labeled against Christians is that we don’t live any differently that non-Christians. While I don’t totally agree with these critics, I do believe that Christ intends for our lives to be very different than they currently are! He desires us to LIVE IN FAITH and as we do, He will WORK powerfully in us and through us.
LIVING FAITH that produces FRUIT is brought about by the process of DAILY CHOICES over a long period of time. One doesn’t plant a STRAWBERRY bush and pick fruit the next day! The bush must be cultivated, fed, watered, and weeded.
The word ‘abide’ in John 15 means to take up permanent residence in Christ. When you decide to take up permanent residence in Christ – He will produce His fruit in your life! Our growth in the fruit of faith depends on a consistent walk with Jesus, daily feeding upon the Scriptures, and fellowship in the Holy Spirit.
If you are having major problems in your Christian development – perhaps it is because you have yet to settle down in the house of God!
Living faith is our part in responding to God by allowing Him to transform our lives.
The third SUPERNATURAL FAITH is…
3. THE GIFT OF FAITH
This gift of faith lies as potential within the life of every Christian believer and becomes much more active after you’ve received the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Unlike the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, the Gift of Faith is given INSTANTANEOUSLY.
Def: It is a sudden surge of faith to confidently believe without a doubt, that as we act or speak in Jesus’ Name, it shall come to pass!
The word ‘confession’ comes from two root words which means to ‘speak the same thing.’ The spoken gift of faith is confessing what God says, as led by the Holy Spirit.
Check out Mark 11:22-24:
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24
This is a pretty bold statement by Jesus. But He backs it up. Look at the first four words of verse 22: “Have faith in God…” – this is the key to the rest of the text. All of the power and miracles we seek after stem entirely upon these four words being our reality!
In the Greek these four words go like this: “Ekho pistis theos”
• EKHO – “Have” – literally to ‘hold, or possess’
• PISTIS – “Faith” – Conviction, belief, confidence
• THEOS – “God”
As Christians – literally as ‘mini-Christ’s’ we are to ECHO GOD’S FAITH!
When we possess in our spirits, the confidence of God – God will DO amazing things!
Elijah is a great example of this. In 1 Kings 17 he announces to the wicked King Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1
That is the GIFT OF FAITH in action! And that is exactly what happened!
“After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”” 1 Kings 18:1
Daniel is another example. Falsely accused and convicted, he is thrown into a LION’S DEN – where death is a given. Yet, after spending the night in the Lion’s den, Daniel still very much alive says:
“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.” Daniel 6:22
This must have taken a special surge of faith for him to go through this frightful experience.
In the Lord Jesus – the fruit and the gift merge – and we see what the GIFT OF FAITH looks like in fullness. The Gospels are full of examples of His great faith. One day, Jesus and His disciples set out to go across the lake in a small boat. Jesus falls asleep, and a storm begins to rage. The disciples were terrified and wake Jesus from His sleep. What does Jesus do?
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:39-40
Jesus had to do a miracle because the gift of faith was absent in His disciples. Had they remained calm and confident in the storm-tossed boat in spite of their dangerous situation, they would have been manifesting the GIFT OF FAITH.
• The GIFT OF FAITH speaks with confidence that GOD is God regardless of my temporary circumstances!
• The GIFT OF FAITH speaks with confidence that because GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME – I will not fear the Enemy or any lesser Enemy!
• The GIFT OF FAITH takes ACTION as the Holy Spirit leads to BECAUSE I POSSESS THE FAITH OF GOD!
CONCLUSION:
The level of faith in which you are living may ebb and flow.
Sometimes we find that we are strong in faith: The Holy Spirit is allowed to work, and wonderful things happen in and around us!
At other times the hang-ups, doubts, fears and the debris in our souls get in the way – and the Holy Spirit is hindered from doing the will of the Father in and through us.
It may seem that some believers operate at a high level of faith, while you are still trying to get off the ground. But this serves to remind us of something vitally true:
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
Wherever you may be in your faith journey right now – seek GOD!
Wherever you are in your spiritual progress – seek GOD!
Some of you may have to let go of things you have BELIEVED about God in the past. It’s time to open up to Him – and to allow Him to give you the GIFT OF FAITH!
• SAVING FAITH – brings you into right relationship with Him and restores your spirit!
• LIVING FAITH – grants His Holy Spirit access to change you from within!
• THE GIFT OF FAITH – enables you to face every situation with utter confidence in God!
What is God speaking to you about right now?
• Have you experienced SAVING FAITH? Do so now.
• Have you allowed the Holy Spirit unhindered access so that you are LIVING FAITH?
• Are you walking in the GIFT OF FAITH – facing life with GOD CONFIDENCE?
As Christians we believe that God speaks. Yet, as Western Christians, we’ve nearly forgotten what His voice sounds like.
In this church, we are rediscovering the Holy Spirit – and things are changing as a result. We are learning to recognize the voice of God again.
When God speaks, it is for a reason – He is drawing us to Himself. He may be correcting us, he may be directing us, or he may be encouraging us, but regardless of the specifics – He is drawing us into more intimacy with Him.
Last week I shared SIX WORDS that God spoke to me a few weeks ago in prayer. I want to remind you of those words and then begin to look in depth at the first of them.
1. FAITH: “Faith is the gift from God that moves me away from fleshly and soulish living into spiritual living.”
2. IDENTITY: “Because of Faith, I belong to God and His Kingdom.”
The first two words tied together make up – The GIFT OF FAITH
In the gift of faith – we discover who we really are.
3. BELIEVE: “To believe is to take action steps which demonstrate my new identity.”
4. MIRACLES: “Miracles are God taking action.”
Believe and miracles tied together make up – THE ACTIVITY OF FAITH
In the activity of faith – we discover who God really is.
5. MIRACLES: “The undeniable action of miracles demonstrates the character of God.”
6. TESTIMONY: “God is becoming increasingly real and increasingly loved by us!”
Miracles and testimony tied together make up - THE EVIDENCES OF FAITH
In the Evidences of Faith – God is glorified!
Today I want to look at the GIFT OF FAITH – where we discover who we truly are.
PRAYER
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible speaks of FAITH. But there is one scripture that defines FAITH better than any other – Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
We learn several things from this verse:
• Faith is PRESENT TENSE – Hope is FUTURE TENSE.
• Faith is BELIEVING BEFORE SEEING – But will eventually bring SUBSTANCE to what we have believed.
• Faith is ACTIVE not PASSIVE.
We can all understand NATURAL FAITH. We have faith in the things of the world we experience through the five senses:
• Turn on the TV – and believe you’ll see something on your screen.
• Sit on the chair – and believe you’ll not fall to the ground.
• Make a phone call – and believe you’ll get someone’s voice mail.
This is NATURAL FAITH. Trusting in something you can see, feel, hear, taste or touch. “Seeing is believing!”
But the faith that comes from God is SUPERNATURAL FAITH. The Gift of Faith transcends the natural senses and involves a SUPERNATURAL connection with a Divine Being. This is why this first word that God gave me is so vital to our next steps as Christians – it is as if He is saying to us: “You’ve relied on the things of the NATURAL WORLD for too long! I’m moving you into an entirely new realm of experience! I’m bringing you into the realm of TRUE FAITH – SUPERNATURAL FAITH!”
From what I can tell – there are three kinds of SUPERNATURAL FAITH:
• SAVING FAITH
• LIVING FAITH
• THE GIFT OF FAITH
I. SAVING FAITH
Hebrews 11:6 says:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
If you are going to have a relationship with God that results in salvation you must have ‘saving faith’.
Def: Saving Faith doesn’t come from our good deeds but from our faith in Christ Jesus.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31
Jesus is not evident to our physical senses. You need to experience His love and fellowship here and now, but you cannot do so in your NATURAL SENSES. You need His SUPERNATURAL intervention, and that is exactly what happens when the Holy Spirit draws you to Jesus! Your salvation by faith is a GIFT from God – not something you can manufacture!
Turn to Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no-one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Notice the words: ‘grace’, ‘not from yourselves’, ‘gift of God’, ‘not by works’
Salvation is mine, not because of anything I have or will do, but as the direct result of faith given me by God’s grace.
Why would God do such a thing for people like us? It speaks to His character – He loves and cares for you at a level that is hard to fathom.
The Bible tells us that…
“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
Right now you can receive this gift of salvation by hearing and receiving the Word of Christ – and as you open your heart to this message, God will grant you the faith necessary!
The first ‘faith’ given is ‘saving faith’ - Saving Faith doesn’t come from our good deeds but from our faith in Christ Jesus.
The second ‘faith’ given is…
2. LIVING FAITH
I need to explain this carefully:
Def: Living faith is our part in responding to God by allowing Him to transform our lives.
Paul calls this the ‘fruit of the spirit’ – the payoff for being in Christ.
If I plant a strawberry plant, my payoff will be sweet, juicy and delicious strawberrys! As I live in faith, the payoff will be an utterly transformed life.
Listen to these words which describe the payoff:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23, NIV.
These are the payoff for walking with Christ through life! They come as a result of our salvation and our increasing intimacy with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Listen to what Jesus said in John 15:5…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5-8
Our faith in Jesus is supplied by the Presence of the Holy Spirit who empowers and enables us to move forward in life – LIVING OUT OUR FAITH!
One of the chief criticisms labeled against Christians is that we don’t live any differently that non-Christians. While I don’t totally agree with these critics, I do believe that Christ intends for our lives to be very different than they currently are! He desires us to LIVE IN FAITH and as we do, He will WORK powerfully in us and through us.
LIVING FAITH that produces FRUIT is brought about by the process of DAILY CHOICES over a long period of time. One doesn’t plant a STRAWBERRY bush and pick fruit the next day! The bush must be cultivated, fed, watered, and weeded.
The word ‘abide’ in John 15 means to take up permanent residence in Christ. When you decide to take up permanent residence in Christ – He will produce His fruit in your life! Our growth in the fruit of faith depends on a consistent walk with Jesus, daily feeding upon the Scriptures, and fellowship in the Holy Spirit.
If you are having major problems in your Christian development – perhaps it is because you have yet to settle down in the house of God!
Living faith is our part in responding to God by allowing Him to transform our lives.
The third SUPERNATURAL FAITH is…
3. THE GIFT OF FAITH
This gift of faith lies as potential within the life of every Christian believer and becomes much more active after you’ve received the BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Unlike the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, the Gift of Faith is given INSTANTANEOUSLY.
Def: It is a sudden surge of faith to confidently believe without a doubt, that as we act or speak in Jesus’ Name, it shall come to pass!
The word ‘confession’ comes from two root words which means to ‘speak the same thing.’ The spoken gift of faith is confessing what God says, as led by the Holy Spirit.
Check out Mark 11:22-24:
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24
This is a pretty bold statement by Jesus. But He backs it up. Look at the first four words of verse 22: “Have faith in God…” – this is the key to the rest of the text. All of the power and miracles we seek after stem entirely upon these four words being our reality!
In the Greek these four words go like this: “Ekho pistis theos”
• EKHO – “Have” – literally to ‘hold, or possess’
• PISTIS – “Faith” – Conviction, belief, confidence
• THEOS – “God”
As Christians – literally as ‘mini-Christ’s’ we are to ECHO GOD’S FAITH!
When we possess in our spirits, the confidence of God – God will DO amazing things!
Elijah is a great example of this. In 1 Kings 17 he announces to the wicked King Ahab:
“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 1 Kings 17:1
That is the GIFT OF FAITH in action! And that is exactly what happened!
“After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”” 1 Kings 18:1
Daniel is another example. Falsely accused and convicted, he is thrown into a LION’S DEN – where death is a given. Yet, after spending the night in the Lion’s den, Daniel still very much alive says:
“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight.” Daniel 6:22
This must have taken a special surge of faith for him to go through this frightful experience.
In the Lord Jesus – the fruit and the gift merge – and we see what the GIFT OF FAITH looks like in fullness. The Gospels are full of examples of His great faith. One day, Jesus and His disciples set out to go across the lake in a small boat. Jesus falls asleep, and a storm begins to rage. The disciples were terrified and wake Jesus from His sleep. What does Jesus do?
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:39-40
Jesus had to do a miracle because the gift of faith was absent in His disciples. Had they remained calm and confident in the storm-tossed boat in spite of their dangerous situation, they would have been manifesting the GIFT OF FAITH.
• The GIFT OF FAITH speaks with confidence that GOD is God regardless of my temporary circumstances!
• The GIFT OF FAITH speaks with confidence that because GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME – I will not fear the Enemy or any lesser Enemy!
• The GIFT OF FAITH takes ACTION as the Holy Spirit leads to BECAUSE I POSSESS THE FAITH OF GOD!
CONCLUSION:
The level of faith in which you are living may ebb and flow.
Sometimes we find that we are strong in faith: The Holy Spirit is allowed to work, and wonderful things happen in and around us!
At other times the hang-ups, doubts, fears and the debris in our souls get in the way – and the Holy Spirit is hindered from doing the will of the Father in and through us.
It may seem that some believers operate at a high level of faith, while you are still trying to get off the ground. But this serves to remind us of something vitally true:
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
Wherever you may be in your faith journey right now – seek GOD!
Wherever you are in your spiritual progress – seek GOD!
Some of you may have to let go of things you have BELIEVED about God in the past. It’s time to open up to Him – and to allow Him to give you the GIFT OF FAITH!
• SAVING FAITH – brings you into right relationship with Him and restores your spirit!
• LIVING FAITH – grants His Holy Spirit access to change you from within!
• THE GIFT OF FAITH – enables you to face every situation with utter confidence in God!
What is God speaking to you about right now?
• Have you experienced SAVING FAITH? Do so now.
• Have you allowed the Holy Spirit unhindered access so that you are LIVING FAITH?
• Are you walking in the GIFT OF FAITH – facing life with GOD CONFIDENCE?
posted by Doug Love at 10:21 AM
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